Accessory to mail cart



Nov. 9, 1965 F. l. BJERRE 3,216,686

ACCESSORY 1'0 MAIL CART Filed June 20, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. J mum/2 1. 5.1512125 @30 4 M,@ d-Qaww AT OPNEYS Nov. 9, 1965 F. l. BJERRE 3,216,686

ACCESSORY TO MAIL CART Filed June 20, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FOL/WAR I. JERRE A NEYS United States Patent 3,216,686 ACCESSORY T0 MAIL CART Folmar I. Bjerre, 120 Pierce Ave., Hamburg, N.Y. Filed June 20, 1963, Ser. No. 289,232 2 Claims. (Cl. 248-100) This invention relates to mail carrying carts, and more particularly to an accessory for attachment to existing type manually propelled carriers of the go-cart type.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which is readily attachable to an existing mail bag carrier of the go-cart type whereby to substantially increase the bag carrying capacity of the cart and to support mail bags thereon at higher elevations than heretofore and otherwise in such manner as to dispose an elevated mail bag in such attitude as to facilitate access to the bag contents and ready visual reference to the mail packets addressee indicia because of their laying back position.

Another object is to provide a device as aforesaid which will greatly facilitate the handling of mail through improved energy-conserving conveniences to the mail carrier.

Another object is to provide a device as aforesaid which is of simple and rugged construction and may be inexpensively manufactured; the use of which will effect substantial savings in respect to the postal service operation.

Another object is to provide a device as aforesaid which is readily attachable-detachable relative to an existing gocart, and which when attached thereto will fold with the cart whenever it is desired to collapse the unit for convenience of transport.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the specification herewith and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view depicting a device of the invention mounting a pair of mail bags in elevated position on a presently standard type mail cart;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, on enlarged scale, taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to a portion of FIG. 1 but illustrating how the device of the invention may also support a rain shelter umbrella or the like;

FIG. 4 is a top-rear perspective view of the device of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view corresponding to a portion of FIG. 4, but showing a modified form of construction; and

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIGS. 4, 5, but of still another form of construction.

The drawing herewith illustrates the invention as being employed in conjunction with a presently standard type mail cart comprising a tubular frame 10 mounted on wheels 12-14 and having a handle bar extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom as indicated at 15 for manual propulsion and maneuvering control of the vehicle. The present invention contemplates an accessory device D adapted to be detachably mounted upon the top horizontal bar 16 of the vehicle frame. As shown in FIGS. 1-5 herewith the device may include an upright post member 18 arranged to be clamped to the vehicle bar 16 such as by means of a bracket block 19. The connection between the post and the bracket 19 is preferably arranged to permit rotational adjustments of the post and/ or indexing thereof to different rotational positions, for the convenience of the mailman. At its upper end the post 18 carries a transversely disposed shoulder bar 20 connected thereto as by a pin 17 as shown in FIG. 4, or the bar may be modified as in FIG. 5, so as to be adjustable on the post 18 both vertically and rotationally.

3,216,686 Patented Nov. 9, 1965 In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 4, the shoulder bar 20 is rotatably adjustable about the generally vertical axis defined by the post 18 by virtue of the fact that the post 18 is rotatably received in the bracket 19, but normally locked thereto as by means of an L-shaped set-screw member 18'. In FIG. 5, the shoulder bar 20 is rotatable about the axis defined by the post 18 by virtue of the fact that the shoulder bar is rotatably adjustable with respect thereto. This may be accomplished by providing the shoulder bar central portion with a slot S which intersects and extends through the opening for receiving the post 18. Suitable fastening elements s straddle the post 18 and serve to deform the central portion of the shoulder bar 20 and thus clamp the same upon the post 18. The shoulder bar is formed at its opposite ends with upstanding hook devices 22-22 upon which the eye portions 24 of the standard type mail bag as illustrated at 25 may be slip-fitted. Thus, a mail bag may be suspended both in front of and behind the post and shoulder bar as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, as in the manner of suspension of mail bags from the hooks 23-23 (FIG. 1) on the standard cart.

Furthermore, the device preferably includes an in clined plane support for the mail bag which is suspended to hang behind the post 18 in closest proximity to the mail carrier working the cart. This arrangement may comprise, as shown in the drawing herewith, a pair of substantially vertical but somewhat inclined support rails 26-26 which are attached by any suitable means such as the machine screws 27 at their upper ends to the shoulder bar 20 so as to suspend therefrom in positions behind the mail bags as illustrated in FIGS. 13 herewith. At their lower ends the rails 26-26 are supported by a cross bar 28 and attached thereto as by machine screws 27' and the bar 28 is held away from the vertical post 18 by means of a detachable (and length-adjustable if desired) strut device as indicated at 30. The strut device 30 includes a bar 30' slip-fitted at its opposite ends into the two brackets B and B and being normally locked thereto as by the set-screws C. The bracket B is bifurcated and provided with clamping screws G normally causing frictional engagement of the bracket B with the cross-bar 28. The bracket B, on the other hand, has a removable end cap-member E normally clamped to the post 18 as by clamping screws G. Thus the rails 26-26 are mounted in parallel relation to incline downwardly and rearwardly from the shoulder bar 20, and to thereby support the mail bag resting thereagainst in a somewhat reclining attitude as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. This disposition of the mail bag causes the top ends of the mail packets within the bag to assume a shingled and laying back position as indicated at 32 in FIGS. 1 and 3 which greatly facilitates reading of the addressee indicia printed on the mail packets. Thus, the need for fumbling and searching through the bag contents from time to time for such indicia is eliminated.

FIG. 3 also illustrates how the top end of the vertical post 18 may be utilized to support an umbrella or a transverse bar with transparent cover flaps, or a tent or the like, to provide shower protection for the contents of the mail bags, in addition to the mailbag flaps as indicated at 33 which are, of course, standard equipment.

FIG. 6 illustrates another form of the device of the invention, illustrating how this may be provided in the form of a rectangular frame 34 carried at its bottom end by means of a stationary or swivel bracket 36 pivotally mounted as indicated at 37 upon a lower bracket 38 which is clamped to the existing cart bar 16. Thus the frame 34 may be adjusted to its upright standing position either ICC transversely of the cart bar 16 or parallel thereto as illustrated in FIG. 6, as the mailman may prefer. Mail bag support horns as indicated at 40-40 are carried by the top strand of the frame 34 to provide hook means upon which mail bags may be hung against the opposite sides of the frame 34, to provide the features referred to hereinabove.

One of the primary features of the present invention is that not only is the overall bag carrying capacity of the cart substantially increased (from the normal two bags to four bags) but that the bag currently being emptied as the route is worked is carried by the device of the invention at an elevated position and in an inclined attitude providing marked conveniences to the mailman. Reference is made to the upper rearmost bag hanging adjacent the cart control handle bar 15. By virtue of the arrangement of the invention this bag is held at a height most convenient for the mailman, in that it is unnecessary for him to stoop or bend over to any degree while locating and withdrawing mail packets from the bag. This provides an important energy-saving feature ,compared to the prior arrangements whereby the mail sack being emptied was carried at a lower elevation requiring the mailman to bend over to gain access to the contents. Also, note that the mail bag being currently emptied is supported by the rails 26-26 in a vertically inclined attitude, whereby the top ends of the mail packets are shingled relative to one another and incline away from the mailman so he does not have to push contents back to see addresses thereon. This is a further convenience to the mailman greatly facilitating his work.

It will of course be appreciated that whereas only a few forms of constructional details have been illustrated herein and described by way of example, the device may be fabricated with a variety of structural modifications. For example, in the drawing herewith the rails 2626 are illustrated as being attached to the shoulder bar by means of machine screws or bolts. Obviously any other preferred mode of connection may be employed, such as by having the top ends of the rails bent into inverted U-shaped form so as to hang upon the shoulder bar 20. Also, note that in FIG. 4 the vertical post 18 is illustrated to be slip-fitted at its bottom end into its mounting bracket relative to the rail 16, so as to be rotatable therein under control of a screw crank. Obviously a wing nut could be used, or a standard pin-and-slot type connection enabling the operator to lift the post and rotate it 180 degrees and then reset it inlocked position on the pin car- 4- ried by the bracket. Or, any other preferred type arrangement may be used in this detail.

Thus, it will be appreciated that although only a few forms of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail hereinabove, it will be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device for attachment to a mail delivery hand cart having a horizontally disposed frame member, said device comprising,

an upstanding member adapted for detachable connec:

tion at its bottom end to a cart frame member,

a transversely disposed shoulder bar secured to the top end of said upstanding member,

a plurality of bag hooks mounted along said shoulder bar whereby mail bags may be hung from said hooks to suspend therefrom at opposite sides of the upstanding member and at elevations above a cart frame member,

support rail means depending from said shoulder bar,

and means connected to and extending from said upstanding member into supporting engagement with said support rail means to maintain said support rail means in inclined relation to provide an inclined plane support for a suspended mail bag lying thereagainst.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 including means mounting said shoulder bar on said upstanding member for rotation about a generally vertical axis and including mechanism for selectively locking said shoulder bar in a selected position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 682,969 9/01 Blackburn 248-214 942,231 12/09 Woodman 248100 1,073,874 9/13 Smith 248125 1,708,480 4/29 Sparks 280-4735 2,180,480 11/39 Richardson 248-425 2,582,435 1/52 Howard 28047.35 2,876,027 3/59 Sulmonetti 248229 2,893,677 7/59 Dannenburg 24 8228 FOREIGN PATENTS 599,649 6/60 Canada.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT TO A MAIL DELIVERY HAND CART HAVING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED FRAME MEMBER, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING, AN UPSTANDING MEMBER ADAPTED FOR DETACHABLE CONNECTION AT ITS BOTTOM END TO A CART FRAME MEMBER, A TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED SHOULDER BAR SECURED TO THE TOP END OF SAID UPSTANDING MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF BAG HOOKS MOUNTED ALONG SAID SHOULDER BAR WHEREBY MAIL BAGS MAY BE HUNG FROM SAID HOOKS TO SUSPEND THEREFROM AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE UPSTANDING MEMBER AND AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE A CART FRAME MEMBER, SUPPORT RAIL MEANS DEPENDING FROM SAID SHOULDER BAR, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING FROM SAID UPSTANDING MEMBER INTO SUPPORTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SUPPORT RAIL MEANS TO MAINTAIN SAID SUPPORT RAIL MEANS IN INCLINED RELATION TO PROVIDE AN INCLINED PLANE SUPPORT FOR A SUSPENDED MAIL BAG LYING THEREAGAINST. 